Oil contaminated Wheel Weights?

[gunstocl]

I have collected a couple of hundred pounds of wheel weights for my first attempt at casting. I am going to smelt them in a dutch oven and make ingots first.
When I started going through the pails to separate the WW from valve stems etc., I found one pail about 1/5 full of a mixture of water and Transmission Fluid. The WW in this pail are covered in rust from the clips and an oily slime.
Can I smelt these as is or do they have to be cleaned off? I would not add any of these oily WW to the molten metal, I would start them off in the cold pot.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[docone31]

Melt em.
The oil will act as flux.
A reccomendation though, make sure you have plenty of ventilation. It will smoke some.

[462]

gunstocl,

Forewarn any down-wind neighbors, don a quality respirator and stay up-wind.

[Trey45]

Yup, stay upwind, smelt them out doors. Oil is carbon based and thus makes a good flux. The more carbon, the better the flux. It will cook off well before the lead is liquid and so splatter factor goes way down. BE VERY CAREFUL if you have to add oily ww to liquid lead!! Splatter factor and pucker factor very high there.

[ghh3rd]

If you have a large ladle, I would load it up with some WW and carefully dip it into the melt. That way, no sudden splash or reaction. As stated above, be prepared for lots of smoke. Have good eye protection.

If you have a somewhat breezy day coming soon, the wind will keep the smoke/smell from lingering in the neighborhood, and avoid complaints.

Randy

[SciFiJim]

It will smoke some.

http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/SciFiJim_photobucket/rofl.gif It will probably look like you are laying down a smoke screen for an army invasion.

No problem though, just wait till you smelt down some radiator drip tank solder dripping. Or bucket of weights that was also used as a urinal. Whew!

Welcome to the fun and games. Smelting down oily, greasy wheel weights is something that everyone here does.

[Lee]

Or..just wait till dark. Then blame the smell on the neighbor you don't get along with. It has worked for me.............Lee

[Nora]

Or bucket of weights that was also used as a urinal. Whew!


I know that one all to well :veryconfu I still think it's funny! But oh the smell. :groner:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=53975


Nora

[gunstocl]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I will follow all your recommendations.
However, the comments about the urinal got me thinking. I am pretty sure it was water in with the oil.
Maybe I will go wash my hands again.
Thanks again.

[shotman]

Just remember one thing water and molten lead make a bomb. dont try to add the water /oil ones to the melt . heat from start all and stand clear.

[WHITETAIL]

Yes, do not add to liquid lead.
Start with a cold pot, and stay away
from the smoke.:holysheep

[JSnover]

Some folks rinse them in hot soapy water or gasoline. I wouldn't bother with that unless they're really filthy. And even then I might not...

[Screwbolts]

You could always put the entire lot of WW in a heavy plastic bag and put that in a Flat rate USPS Box with my address on it. I would even send you the box along with the postage,

I just couldn't resist.

Like it was said before start with a cold pot and you should be fine.

Even when I am refining my Lino I flux the alloy at least three times before I pore any ingots.

[357maximum]

As said above ....just light a fire under a preloaded cold pot. When it starts to smoke hold a small propane flame in the pot from above or keep adding some burning newspaper to it. It will severely cut down on smoke and stank.

I had 5 -5gal buckest given to me early last year that were so bad the clips had rusted completely away. The buckets were also full of some awful smelly liquid as a side bonus. This is the first and only time I washed wheelweights. I dumped them on plywood in the back of my pickup and took it to the carwash. I then let ma nature work on them for a month or so. They came out good in the end with half the normal amount of clip residue to dipose of.

[John Guedry]

Just remember that dogs have a thing for car tires when they pass by so they contribute a little to the aroma. Seriously be careful adding to a pot of molten lead.

[Dframe]

As previously mentioned, start from a cold pot and heat slowly to allow any water to FULLY evaporate. Water and molten lead are a VERY dangerous bomb.

[lwknight]

I cannot think of anything that stinks worse than a chaw in the WW smelt.

[Phat Man Mike]

first off Welcome ! and I'd just start with a cold pot and melt them down to ingots!! good luck and stay up wind ..[smilie=s:

[thenaaks]

try to light the smoke on fire...if it's really oily, the smoke should light right up and quit smoking/stinking. there's usually enough paint smoke on my ww's to light.

[NuJudge]

I've used the lower half of a Dutch Oven on a Turkey Fryer, and used a Weed Burner over the Dutch Oven. The Weed Burner burnt off most of the smoke and smell. The wheelweights melted a lot faster this way, also.

CDD